Bo Jackson says Russell Wilson should just stick to football

Bo Jackson, the only athlete to be named an All-Star in both football and baseball, says Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson should just stick to football.

“Stick to what got (Wilson) in the headlines, not baseball,” Jackson said, via CSNChicago.com. “Twenty-five or 30 years ago when I did it, I’m not trying to say anything negative about other athletes, but the talent pool wasn’t that deep. In this day in age, with all the high-tech training, computer-engineered workouts and the proper food and diet, if you try to concentrate on two sports, I guarantee you’re going to ride the bench in both because the talent is that deep. Stick to whatever sport you’re comfortable with and let everything else go.”

Wilson spent a day with the Texas Rangers in spring training after the club selected him in the Rule 5 draft in December. But Wilson has said his priority remained with the Seahawks.

Jackson, 51, batted .250 in his major league career with 114 home runs, 415 RBIs and 82 steals in 694 games. He also won the Heisman Trophy as a running back at Auburn and played for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987 to 1990, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.

But Jackson doubts he’d be able to play both sports now.

“I probably couldn’t, no,” Jackson said. “Just because the talent pool is that deep now. If my kids want to do both sports – ‘No. No. No.’ … If you try to do both you’re going to be riding the bench in both. You’ll never get to that level that you want to get to if you split your time between multiple sports.”